No War on Iraq Organizing

The Peace Council canceled the September potluck program on the
"collateral damage" of the "war on terrorism"
in order to hold a meeting to organize against further "collateral damage" _ Bush's
proposed escalation of the US war on Iraq.

Over 80 people attended and split into task groups_media, public education,
lobbying, demonstrations, civil disobedience, and personal education. Energy was
high and many plans were made in all areas. For information about any of the
groups, call the Peace Council.

There are two special events to be watching for_"Not in Our
Name" vigils to be held outside places of worship on Sunday, October 6,
and a city-wide demonstration on the afternoon of October 26.

9/11/01 and Beyond

The Peace Council's efforts to offer a "peaceful" look at the
9/11 commemoration made a dent in the mainstream discussion in
our community. We have distributed over 5,000 copies of our
special September Peace Newsletter throughout the region (more go out
daily with orders from the Syracuse Cultural Workers). Over 100 people attended
the Peace Council's 9/11 "Our Grief is Not a Cry for War" vigil at the Federal
Building, standing in silence, singing and participating in a ritual of mourning.
The event, which received newspaper and radio coverage, was characterized
as reaching "for the conscience and the heart to deliver a graceful message
of peace," in a Post-Standard editorial.

USA Patriot Act Show

The Peace Council, in conjunction with the Syracuse Cultural Workers
and the Community Folk Art Gallery is bringing a wonderful art show entitled "USA
Patriot Act Show: Cartooning & Free Speech in Time of War" to Syracuse in
October. The show will be unveiled at a 7 pm opening reception on Monday, October
7 at the Community Folk Art Gallery, 2223 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. The show
will run through October 31. Come check out some great political art from
Aaron McGruder (Boondocks, which runs daily in the
Post-Standard), Ted Rall, Stephanie McMillan, Matt Wuerker and others.

Only 8 Pages?

You will notice that this Peace
Newsletter is small, particularly compared to last month's special issue. Over
the summer the Steering Committee decided to spend more time on organizing
and activist work. This means that we will publish smaller newsletters in the
near future, with larger issues on a quarterly basis. We'd rather keep them larger,
but simply don't have the resources to do everything. Help us make this a
very temporary situation through your financial support and volunteer assistance.

Local Peacemakers to Prison

Syracuse continues to play a key role in nonviolent resistance efforts to close the
US Army School of the Americas/WHISC terrorist training facility in Fort
Benning, GA. Laura MacDonald (an SPC Steering Committee member) will soon be
heading home from the Harris County Jail, where her three month prison term ends in
early October. Another SPC Steering Committee member, Rae Kramer, and Michael
Pasquale, recently began their six month prison sentences. They were celebrated at
a September 9 send-off. Over 100 people listened to them read their trial
statements (with Laura's dad Doug reading her statement) and joined in a festive
gathering with food and music to appreciate their efforts and recommit ourselves to
peace. The two drove themselves to their
respective Federal prison camp destinations the following day.

You can write to them:

Rae Kramer Michael Pasquale

91096-020 91102-020 Unit A

Federal Prison Camp Prison Camp Allenwood

Pembroke Station PO Box 1000

Danbury, CT 06811 Montgomery, PA 17752

(Be sure to write the address exactly as above and have
an identifiable return address on the envelope.)

Preparations are underway for this year's protest of the School
of the Americas, the weekend of November 16-17. For information
in Central New York, see insert or contact the SOA Abolitionists,
478-4571, e-mail: edkinane@a-znet.com.

Clintons and the SOA

You probably heard that Bill and Hillary Clinton attended the New
York State Fair again this year. Tina MacDonald, Laura
MacDonald's mom, found her way through the crowds to greet them and told Bill, "Please
close the SOA. My daughter is in jail right now for that." He asked what jail it was. A
little while later Tina got Hillary's autograph and shook her hand. "I held her hand
and speaking mom to mom, said, `Please close the SOA. It's a terrible place
where we're training terrorists. My daughter is in jail for trying to close it down. I'm
very proud of her. How would you feel?' She nodded and said `Yes, I'll see what I
can do.'" Tina was wearing her SOA t-shirt to reinforce the message.

We Still Want Democracy Now!

WAER is encouraging listeners to visit their website on Friday, October 4
and make a pledge to support the station. This is a great opportunity for us to remind
them that there are many people in Central New York who would be happy to
become members after they add Democracy
Now to their broadcast lineup. If you're already
a member, be sure to let them know why this great newsmagazine program is
needed here. This fall they added "Fresh Air,"
a good program which is already available twice daily on WRVO, so they
appear interested in more news programming.

For further information, or to pick up a CD or cassette sample of the show,
stop by or contact our office.

Where We've Been

The Peace Council has recently tabled at LeMoyne College's activities fair,
the Latin American Festival, the Regional Peace Studies Association, the
Westcott Street Fair and the Hobart & William Smith Folk Fest. Peace Council
speakers participated on panels at Onondaga Community College, the
Building Community Forum (organized by the Muslim American Council) and the
Peace Studies Conference at Colgate.

We want to expand our public visibility at other events in Central New
York. Contact Andy if you have ideas or would like to help staff future tables.

SPC's Weekly Peace Vigils

Every Wednesday from 4:45-5:45 pm at a busy intersection in the Syracuse
area. Please come out to say "No War on Iraq."

 October 2, Erie Blvd. W. and W. Genesee St. (Westside)

 October 9, S. Salina and East Colvin (Southside)

 October 16, E. Genesee St. and Erie Blvd. (Dewitt)

 October 23, Rt. 695 exit ramp to W. Genesee St. (Fairmount)

 October 30 Teall Ave. & Rt. 690 (Eastside)

 November 6, Hiawatha Blvd., in front of Carousel Center (Northside)

The Subtle Pitch

Although the Peace Council has been very active over the past eight months,
we continue to remain far short of the resources needed to effectively carry
out our mission. The staff are working hard, too hard for them to continue over
the long haul. The future success of the organization will require significantly
increased funds and people-power. Please consider how you might help us by
contributing on a regular basis, helping organize fundraising activities or offering
your time and skills.

Happy 90th Birthday, Angus

Angus MacDonald has been an inspiration for SPC activists, both young
and old, for many years. He has been active in progressive causes almost all of his
life, finding his way back to the Peace Council in the '60s. His positive spirit has
always sustained us, and his analysis has challenged us to think more clearly and
deeply. A prolific "Letters to the Editor"
writer, he links his condemnation of militarism with the need for justice here at home.

Despite his age and limited mobility, Angus participated in our peace vigils
in the cold last December outside Carousel Center. His piece in the September
Peace Newletter is a call for continued
activism: "Considering alternatives to capitalism
is the second most dangerous undertaking in the world. The most dangerous is to
do nothing." We wish him the best.

Duane Hardy Has Left a Hole

After 13 years as our bookkeeper and volunteer with
too-many-hats-to-count, Duane Hardy has departed for the
Philadelphia area. Duane's contributions to the Peace Council and the broader work
for peace are immeasurable. His exodus leaves a gaping hole in our hearts and our
infrastructure (see below for ways you can help fill the latter). In leaving, Duane
continued his generosity, donating his 1997 Dodge Neon to the Peace Council. We wish
him and Nell many more years of active life.

Prizes will be awarded for costumes depecting
activists/artists/revolutionaries. The benefit will be held at the
Westcott Theater, Westcott St. in Syracuse. The cost is $7-20 on a sliding scale.
Contact SPC for further details.

Volunteer Jobs

SPC will be holding an orientation for volunteers on Thursday, October 17
from 7:30 -9:00 pm at the Peace Council office. It provides a great opportunity for
new people to learn about SPC and begin to plug into our work. A work project
is scheduled for winterizing, painting and cleaning on Saturday, November 9
from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.